Mojo, Interrupted

Hey, guess how long it took me to sew this simple tote bag? THREE WEEKS!

Right after the new year, I bought an acrylic hexagon template from Stitch Lab. Using some random scraps from past quilting projects, I managed to eke out eight hexagons via English paper piecing, and sewed them in a honeycomb pattern. I pulled out all the leftover natural canvas in my sewing room and found a big square I could use as a pocket; a long, narrow rectangle I could use for straps; and about a yard of uncut canvas for the body. I love it when I don't have a plan and everything comes together anyway!

But about that plan... later that day, I got called for a last-minute work trip. It took me about 48 hours to work out the logistics and get packed.

The day I was to leave on the work trip, I decided to stitch the hexagons to the pocket. With project mojo flowing at an all-time high, I had to STOP this sewing project to get on the road. It was likely to be at least a week before I'd be home and get the sewing mojo flowing again.

I sewed the hexagons to the pocket on January 10. I finished the bag today, February 1. Three weeks!!! Three weeks to get my mojo flowing again for about an hour of solid sewing. I don't like these statistics. I was tempted to start a new sewing project before I'd finished the hexagon tote! Insane. One thing that seems to help me pick up a project where I left off is if I make all the little decisions ahead of time. In this case, I knew I'd make the straps instead of using cotton webbing, which seems silly but could have really held me up. Another thing that got me to the finish line was deciding I didn't want ONE MORE unfinished project laying around my sewing room.

It feels great to have completed this. I know I'll use a versatile, lightweight, big tote like this a lot. But I have so many other things I want to sew this year, and I can't get them all done with a 3-weeks-of-downtime-to-one-hour-of-sewing ratio!

How will I ever get my sewing mojo in line with the reality of my life???

Sometimes our dog is very cat-like, walking into the frames of photos when his help isn't needed, and other times unwilling to get in a photo when you want him.

Simplicity 1870 + 1871

It's been a while since I posted a sewing project, and with a backlog of projects to share, I'll combine these outfits into one post. Each of them uses the top from Simplicity 1870 and the skirt from Simplicity 1871.

The first outfit is made from the fabric left over from a dress I made for my sweet friend, Ashley. (I'm just realizing I never blogged Ashley's dress, which I made in July! Lots to catch up on.) It's a pink variegated stripe, a poly-lycra blend that is soooo soft and drapey. I didn't do a petite adjustment on the top or bottom, but I will probably crop it more on top so it looks less like I can't measure, and more like you're supposed to see a slice of skin.

The second outfit was my birthday dress! This time, I used a more structured, B&W striped, poly-lycra knit from Michael Levine Loft, and I attached the top and bottom. But I cut away a triangle of fabric on the skirt, from the side seams to the waist, before attaching them. I've been loving the cutouts on clothes all over the dang place, and the curviest part of my torso is the lower waist, so that's how I decided to make the cutouts there. When I wear the dress, it feels like I'm showing lots of skin. But when I see the photos, it looks very demure. Maybe I will end up wearing it again, after all.

The whole process of taking photos for the blog / pattern review cracks me up. My husband is my primary photographer, and we really have been trying to create more of a "vibe" so that we get better shots. Usually, he is frustrated and I am frowning. This particular day, we photographed three outfits, when we were both searing under a hot sun. He had me in the oddest-feeling poses, arms one way, hands another, body facing yet another direction, instructing me to look directly into the sun and smile. We had some fun this time around, laughing at the whole process, but I know there must be an easier way. Don't be surprised if you see props, and masks, and hats, and other hijinks and swag and silliness in future sewing project photos.

For you sewing peeps, here is my review of the S1070 top. And here's my review of the S1071 skirt.